Maxwell Creek Inn Bed & Breakfast is nestled on nearly six acres overlooking Maxwell Bay and Lake Ontario. The historic 1846 Cobblestone home is rumored to have been on the Underground Railroad where slaves came for food and shelter.

Monday, November 14, 2016

A Treasure Trove of History - Part l

Preston-Gaylord Cobblestone Farmhouse c:1846

Preston-Gaylord Cobblestone Farmhouse 1901

Recently, I was given the special honor of receiving a box full of historical information in regards to our home and
the ancestors who lived in it for generations from 1838 to 1973; with the
exception of about 25 years between 1925 to 1952. One of the children of
the last ancestral family that lived here; Peter Gaylord, now an adult of course, contacted me this past September and asked if I would be interested in
the old photos, 1902 - 1905 newspaper clippings, hand written letters and
documents of Last Wills and Testaments and other such memorabilia found in his
late mother's estate. He was aware that I kept a scrapbook of some of the
history of his ancestors home and often shared this with my guests. I was
thrilled, truly humbled and honored to accept such a treasure trove of
historical information about his ancestors that lived in our home, the life
they lived and the activities around them. I now lovingly read through each
piece and reminisce about the days gone by.

Where do I begin?

1819 Journey from Hull, Yorkshire, England to Sodus Point, NY.

Elizabeth Swales (Swails) Preston

Elizabeth Swales (Swails) Born April 18, 1813 in Yorkshire, England. She was the fifth child to William Swales (Swails) and Sarah Harper. She died at age 90, December 1902 in Sodus, NY, Wayne County.

At age 77, Elizabeth recounts her journey to Sodus Point, New
York at age six. Her father had already crossed the ocean eleven times. Elizabeth's daughter, Fannie Preston Sentell allowed The Arcadian Gazette to copy Elizabeth's account of her journey for the newspaper.

"In April
1819, my father and mother with six children, two cousins and a hired man, left
hull, Yorkshire, England for Quebec, Canada on the ship Isabella with Captain
Brodie in charge. After being on the ocean for six weeks we landed alright at
our destination after having had what was considered in those days a good
passage.

From Quebec we came to
Montreal up Lachine rapids on flat bottom boats, the boatman poling the boats
along quite near the shore. At one time on the journey our boats were drawn by
oxen along the shore. I remember well the large stones in the water. Our
household goods were taken nine miles of he journey on one-horse carts, the
names of the places along the way I do not remember. Two other families came up
the river with us, our whole company numbering twenty-five people. At one place
we took refuge in a vacant house near the river belonging to a farmer. This
seemed a treat to us as the mothers wished to do baking and washing and it gave
us all a chance to rest for our continued journey.

At Sackets Harbor we
took steamer for Sodus Point this being the first steamboat plying the waters
of Lake Ontario. We got into small boats first then were transferred to the
large steamer. I well remember the first colored women I ever saw at Sodus
Point and we children were afraid of her, but we soon got over it and I have
seen her many times since. She was known as Julia Cooper. We took rooms with
Doctor Lawson, he being a friend of my father who had been there about two
years.

We remained at this
place about three weeks during time our father bought the farm known as the old
Castle farm near Geneva of 235 acres which seemed to me the garden of America.
I have never seen the place I loved so well.

June 28, 1819 we moved
to old Geneva, in lumber wagons over the many long ways and being rather rough
there were many jolts which I well remember. During the time we lived in Geneva
we frequently visited friends in Sodus and were acquainted with the many
changes in clearing the heavy forests as it was heavy timbered land which
showed the strong soil. My father being a locker of the broad acres preferred
to own land in Sodus as it was of much less value at the time than where we
lived.

In 1826 he bought in
Sodus 864 acres at six dollars per acre and in 1832 sold his farm at Geneva at
something less than fifty dollars per acre which was too soon as the most of
the same farm sold soon after for three hundred dollars per acre. I have seen
many changes and plenty of hard work at Sodus and feel I have done my share and
now expect to end my days here as I am near 77 years of age and feel so
thankful."

In Part ll of "A
Treasure Trove of History" I'll share John S. Preston's (Elizabeth Swales
husband) journey from England to New York.

Sources: Underground
Railroad, Abolitionism, and African American Life in Wayne County, Historical
New York Research Associates, Wayne County Historian's Office, Preserve New
York, 2007-2009, pp 345-46

The Arcadian
Weekly Gazette, September 20, 1905 - This copy of an original newspaper was
given to me by Peter Gaylord.